Trusting Your Instincts

Trusting Your Instincts

The past couple of weeks have required me to make decisions in situations where I had to figure out what was right and what was wrong. Normally right and wrong is clear – Don’t steal, don’t hurt, so on and so forth, but in one of these scenarios the lines were a little blurry and in the other I had to push myself past the societal norm. At Conquering Life we don’t install moral compasses or give you a “don’t do” list, we want to encourage you to find power in yourself which means trusting yourself and your own decisions. I think that we often know from the beginning how we feel about something but it takes us time to act upon it because we either doubt ourselves or wonder what others will think. Trusting ourselves can be the real challenge, especially when it comes to more complicated situations.

I got out of a train station today and I was waiting for my aunt to pick me and my boyfriend up. My boyfriend was walking the dog across the street while I waited outside the station with our things. I saw lots of different people being collected by friends, family, taxis, and whisked away until it was only myself, my boyfriend and an elderly woman, a little further down the sidewalk, that remained. I noticed her when she started speaking aloud to herself and I could see that she seemed agitated. I asked her if she was alright but I was too far away from her to hear me.

Just then my aunt pulled up, my boyfriend and dog joined us so that we could load up the car. I looked over at the woman and wondered what I should do. I wanted to help but I wasn’t sure what I should do or if I should do anything. I realized that this was really questioning my instincts and wondering what was socially acceptable. I asked my aunt to pull up to her and I stepped out of the car and came to her assistance. She was waiting for her sister but there was no sign of her and she was confused, worried and phoneless. I helped her find the numbers for her family members and we tried to call them to no avail. But just as we were going to take her up to our destination her sister arrived, much to everyone’s relief. We said our goodbyes and headed off. Shortly after I got a phone call from the woman’s sister thanking me and it turned out she knew my uncle and his family very well- what a coincidence.

I tell you this story not to show you how amazing I am or even to paint it as a difficult-to-read situation, instead I want to highlight how easy it is to doubt yourself even in situations when right and wrong seems pretty clear.

My instincts to help were good instincts because I am a good and considerate person. But thanks to Conquering Life I know to trust them and to think and act upon them. Another thing I dealt with was less clear cut and I won’t go into detail here- suffice to say I had to make a tough decision that involved a friend. I went with my instincts and I felt good that I did because even if it doesn’t turn out the way I wanted it to at the very least I trusted myself. Trusting yourself is an important step on the journey to Conquering Life!